


A Sense of Home

by KitsuneTails25



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Child Harry, Drabbles, Family, Fluff, Mentions of Child Abuse and Neglect, Typical Night Vale Violence, Typical Night Vale Weirdness, drabbles mean short chapters k?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:39:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 8,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24750955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KitsuneTails25/pseuds/KitsuneTails25
Summary: Harry was eight when he found the old oak door during Harry Hunting. He was only looking for a safe place to escape his bullies, he didn't expect to find himself in a desert town...in America.A desert town where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and where a little boy who thought himself a freak may have just found a place he can call home.[Starts between e27 First Date and e28 Summer Reading Program, July 2013. Time is weird in Night Vale, so yes, Harry technically time travels to the future.]
Comments: 45
Kudos: 164





	1. The Door

It seemed to just be another day for Harry Potter.

He was woken up this morning by the rapping of his aunt on his door, he left the cupboard where he slept to cook his relatives breakfast, sat and ate his stale bread and tap water while they ate the bacon and scrambled eggs that he cooked, walked to school while his uncle drove his cousin there on the way to work, and now at recess he was running away from his rotund cousin and his pack of friends.

It was a game they liked to play, "Harry Hunting". And as the name suggests, it was Harry that they chased around until they either caught him or he managed to evade long enough for recess to finish.

At the young age of eight, Harry had a few years of evading them down almost to an art form. Yes, sometimes he would just be too tired and sore from chores, or too weak from hunger, and he wouldn't be able to run fast enough to escape their fists.

But aside from that, the years long of practice made him create routes and improve his evading skills. The playground had equipment in it that he can climb, jump, and run over to slow down his less agile pursuers. The trees to the north have barks rough enough to help him climb up, but the ones with white bark is too smooth to even attempt when in a hurry. If they're far enough behind him he can sneak into the library and hide.

Which direction Harry ends up in will depend on which direction Dudley and his friends started before they ran after him.

...and like Harry had gotten smarter in the years of having this happen, it seems that they too had learned a few things.

Piers appeared in front of him, preventing him from running to the forests. And on his left was another three of the group, and behind him was Dudley and one other boy, shouting and panting. So Harry turned to his right, thoughts racing as he tried to find a way out of his predicament.

He knew that where he was going was at the back of the cafeteria.

More, he knew that it's a dead end.

He remembered that there was a garbage dump there, and that it was too low for him to climb to the roof that way... but he should at least try.

Dread was washing over him even as he made the decision, weighting his limbs almost to a slow, but self-preservation instincts made him keep going despite the knowledge that is was all for nothing.

But then, there, at the end of the alley, was an old oak door.

Harry didn't know how he knew it was oak, or that it was old. He didn't know when that door was put there and where it leads. But he knew that it was a possible way to escape.

So he bypassed the garbage dump, little hands reaching desperately for the brass knobs. It turned easily under his grip, and he quickly went through, closing the door behind him.

On the other side, the children stopped dead. Confused looks were shared as they looked around, but the "Freak" they were chasing was nowhere to be seen.

It was a dead end, and the garbage was empty so he can't have hid there.

At the end of the alley was a blank wall, no old oak doors to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast about a town where conspiracies are real and weird things happen all the time, but its citizens treat it as just another day. HP fans who don't know WtNV, expect a lot of weirdness.
> 
> Harry Potter is a book series with a film adaptaion about a boy who finds out he's a wizard, and that he's destined to defeat a dark wizard for good. WtNV fans who don't know HP...how did you not at least hear the name somewhere? But anyways, knowledge of HP isn't important in this book considering he's not even 11 yet, so no worries.


	2. A lost child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: I never read the WtNV books, so I'm basically just using names of Carlos' Scientists without actually knowing first hand what they're like. So if they do something OOC, that's why.

"Uhm, Carlos?"

"Hm?" Carlos narrowed his eyes when the liquid in the beaker turned electric blue instead of the expected hot pink. He took notes.

"A child just appeared."

"What does it say?" He asked distractedly when white precipitation appeared in the electric blue. There was more furious note taking with his nonpen.

"I don't think it's-he's a messenger child from the City Council. He doesn't look dead," Nilanjana said, before her voice fell into a quiet and soothing tone. "Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you. Are you lost?"

Carlos blinked when it turned periwinkle yellow suddenly, before sighing and turning the bunsen burner off. The burner let out a sigh of relief and Carlos made a mental note to check it for any signs of damage or degradation later. He turned, only to blink at seeing that yes, it's a child that somehow got inside the lab.

The child was trembling badly and gasping for breath as if from great physical exertion, and the way his wide eyes wildly moved around his surroundings suggested that he was as clueless as to how he got here as them. He was huddling against a wall next to a cabinet, with Nilanjana kneeling a ways in front of him.

"How about you tell me how you got here? I won't get mad, promise," she continued. The child's gaze settled on her and seemed to calm down slightly at her smile. Carlos stayed where he was, leaning against the table behind him with a curious look, not wanting to interrupt and scare the boy more.

"I-" The child stopped, eyes dropping down to the floor as he fidgeted with the hem of his worn sweater. "You wouldn't believe me." He had an accent, definitely not American. Then what he said registered and a grin spread itself on Carlos' face.

"Try me," Nilanjana challenged, also with her own grin, which made the boy relax more when he looked back up at her and saw it.

"I...I was running from my cousin and his friends. And I saw this old oak door I haven't seen before. It was the only escape, and then I was here."

Nilanjana and Carlos exchanged a glance. An old oak door. The child looked between them with a wary expression.

"Tell me," Nilanjana started, "you're not from America, are you?"

The boy stared at her confused before nodding.

Nilanjana did her best to gentle her tone even more. "Because you're in America right now."

The boy stared at her even more, now with his mouth slightly open.

Carlos suppressed a sigh. He knew that people just sometimes ended up in town whether they meant to or not, but why did it have to be a child? Most of them had parents and a whole life ahead of them that didn't have potential death and violence hiding at every corner.

"How about we talk about this over hot chocolate? Do you like hot chocolate?" Nilanjana asked.

The boy looked uncertain and a little shy. "I never had hot chocolate before."

"Hot chocolate it is, then!" She grinned and the child's lips twitched into a little smile.


	3. Hot choco

For as long as Harry can remember, weird things had the tendency to happen around him. His teacher's hair turning blue, his hair that was shorn by Aunt Petunia growing back to normal overnight, the hideous sweater that was forced on him by his Aunt shrinking until it longer fit him. A lot of weird things happen around Harry, it's why his relatives called him freak and unnatural.

But this, this took the cake.

Harry now sat uneasily beside a kitchen island while the woman, who introduced herself as Nila...Nilaja?... and then told Harry to just call her "Nils" if he couldn't remember her name ("you don't have to call us Ma'am or Sir, or anything like that!"), was setting up an odd contraption and a glass container that she poured water in. The contraption looked like a metal candle now with a flame burning merrily on top of it, and the glass or plastic container is being held over it by a stand.

It was a weird stove and pot combination, and Harry is sitting in an unfamiliar kitchen after entering a weird door. And he's in America. Apparently. They certainly talked differently than what he's used to, though he's not sure about the brown skin.

The man, Carlos, had been sent out by Nils to get cocoa or chocolate or anything resembling chocolate that doesn't have anything that "will poison anyone else from the rest of the world" because "the town is less likely to kill you than me, as long as you don't go running headlong to danger like a stupid person again," which made the man mumble something about being a scientist and Nils not being any better, which, in turn, caused Nils to throw a ball of crumpled paper at him on his way out.

Adults, in Harry's experience, don't throw crumpled paper at each other because it was "immature". Which made these two pretty weird, too. But not as weird as Harry, whose family had been damned by because of it.

...this situation just kept reminding him of the Dursleys. Harry winced at how angry they would be once he got back. If he ever will. He wondered how long he'll be imprisoned in his cupboard this time with only being given a piece of bread and a glass of water once per day.

The memory of the gnawing hunger that lasts until it settles into a dull emptiness made his hands tremble as he settled them into fists against his knees. He swallowed and bowed his head, trying not to think about how red his Uncle's face will look and how many times he'll swing the belt until all of Harry's limbs and his back are red and hurting and–

"Harry?" a gentle voice startled him from his thoughts. He flinched and looked up to see the woman kneeling in front of him again, and also giving him that nice, friendly smile...again.

No one had ever given Harry that smile before. He wished with all his heart that it lasts.

"We'll get you home back to your family, don't worry," Nils reassured, and Harry can't help but swallow the words that threatened to spill out. That he's scared about going back. That he...may not want to go back. 

But he had nowhere else to go, so. Harry nodded once, weakly. Nils then got up to sit next to him, far enough that the proximity is not uncomfortable, but close enough to not make it look like she thinks he had the plague. But before she can say anything, Carlos came in holding a bag and he raised it triumphantly in their direction.

"Great!" Nils said cheerfully, then pointed at the boiling water. "Now, stat."

"But I'm your boss."

"We're also friends, and as friends this is a joint effort. So if you want to talk to little Harry here instead..."

Carlos rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. You're better with children anyways." Harry almost feared that Carlos was angry at Nils, but they grinned at each other before Carlos set to working on his task.

"Now, while Carlos does his thing," Nils started from beside him, prompting him to look at her, "we can chat about where you're from and how we can get you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With where Harry had lived, I don't think he would've seen much diversity in people. I meant no offense with the brown skin part.
> 
> And also, yes, Nilanjana did just use a Bunsen burner and a beaker to make hot chocolate-


	4. Finders Keepers

The child's eyes moved between the two with wide eyes. "Stay? With-with you?"

"Yep!" Nilanjana replied with a bright grin.

"Like," Harry started hesitantly, shyly, "like a family?"

Carlos smiled. "Yeah, like a family. We have colleagues who I'm sure wouldn't mind pitching in, so you'll have a bigger family than before."

"We're not mother and father though," Nilanjana was quick to add, which made Carlos' eyes widen and quickly nod his agreement. But then she sent a smirk at the man even as she continued speaking to Harry. "But if you're okay with having two dads, there's Carlos and Cecil."

"Nilanjana!" Carlos squawked, blushing furiously. "But we-we're not-! We're not even married!"

"And you guys are so absolutely sickeningly sweet with each other that I'm wondering when I'll hear the wedding bells."

"We-we _just started dating_! Nils! Stop laughing!"

"When they do get married, I'll make sure they adopt you officially," Nils stage-whispered conspiratorially to Harry through her giggles, ignoring Carlos' spluttering. 

They continued to go back and forth since the poor boy looked a little dazed and probably needed time to gather his thoughts back into himself. Not a word came from the child as she teased Carlos relentlessly, and then a small giggle came from beside her. Nilanjana let up on Carlos before her boss faints from all the blood in his head to glance at the Harry.

Harry looked a little mystified and surprised by the sound, and Nilanjana felt a flare of protective urge to gather him in a blanket and just hide him from the world. She raised her head to see something in Carlos eyes, that dark anger that she knew mirrored her own.

Yep, it's decided. They're keeping the kid.

Even if it's technically kidnapping, in a way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you so much for the kudos and comments!
> 
> Also, I changed Harry's age to eight, cause I hadn't checked his birthdate (July 31) before writing this, and it turns out he hadn't had his birthday yet when this story started...and so I found out that I accidentally made The Summer Reading Program the day after his birthday day... *wince*


	5. Flavor of Weird

Being a scientist meant observing, learning, understanding, and being impartial and without judgment in regards to what you are studying to prevent bias from contaminating the results.

Harry can barely understand what Carlos meant by that when he said it. But he did learn that being a scientist meant looking at Harry with curiosity and interest. They looked at Harry with eager scientific excitement when he told them of the odd things that happened around him, and asked questions that dug for more details because a scientist is a knowledge seeker.

They didn't look at Harry like he was a freak.

As Harry learned more about the town he was now living in, he also learned that it was full of things that his relatives would call freaks and unnatural.

And everyone accepts it as normal.

The scientists are often baffled, sometimes even afraid, but there is fondness in their smiles and exasperated comments of, _"Night Vale."_ They looked at this impossible town and saw something beautiful and worth to be studied instead of avoided and feared.

And Harry, he wanted that. 

So as Harry watched Nils coax out a sullen tarantula hiding inside their equipment, gently questioning its state and asking for information instead of just killing it, he made a promise to himself that never will anyone receive unreasonable judgment from him for who they are. Like a scientist.

Besides, Harry thought to himself as he turned back to the potato he was previously focusing on, maybe everyone had a weird side to them. Despite the Dursley's insistence of being absolutely normal, Nils and Carlos had made it clear that the way they treated Harry was _not_ normal. And that the way they raised Dudley as a spoiled brat (the name had taken Harry aback, since all other adults would say "Dudley is a little angel!" while Harry is the one always at fault) was not normal, along with his weight not being good for his cousin's health.

"Still nothing?" Lusia asked, rolling her nonpen (which is actually a pen with the words NOT A PEN taped to the side) between her fingers with a slight frown.

"No..." Harry sheepishly said, being unable to truly focus on what he was trying to do.

She patted his head. "It's alright. We can try again later." The potato started shaking under the weight of Lusia's withering glare of disappointment as Harry made his way over to Nils and the talking tarantula. There's a small smile on his face.

The scientists can be a little weird too, but _their_ flavor of weird he didn't mind.


	6. Magic is the name

The process of taking in Harry legally seemed surprisingly simple. When he had asked Cecil about it while they were walking around Grove Park, hands holding each other's as Cecil listened on with interest, the radio host told him that he simply needed to go to City Hall, do the proper type of Adoption ritual for human-and-human adoption, sign a few papers, and then finally, pick up a New Citizen Welcome Packet and mandatory orange poncho.

The ritual itself doesn't demand blood, thankfully, just a strand of hair from the adopter and adoptee.

"So, who will adopt the child?" Cecil asked curiously, and Carlos shrugged.

"Well, either Nilanjana or me, but I'm leaning more on Nilanjana. We'll ask Harry as long as he understands that he won't upset the rest by choosing one."

Cecil blinked. "Huh, wow. That's...wow, that's less violent than I'm used to."

Carlos blinked back at him, bemused. "Why, what are you used to?"

"Usually, if there are more than one possible future parental unit for the child there would be a fight to the death. Or a competition to hunt the most vicious of creatures in the Scrublands or the Depths Below Us to prove their worth by showcasing their ability to protect the child," Cecil informed. "It's quite touching."

Carlos slowly nodded in thought. As much as it seemed needlessly violent for someone from outside, in Night Vale it made sense in a way. Carlos was lucky in that he hadn't seen a child die in front of him in his time here. The same can't be said with some of his scientists.

"Not that your way is bad, of course," Cecil suddenly added as if the thought just came to him. "There's certainly less clean up to do. And you won't have to mourn the loss of one of your scientists."

"Me?" A grin smile started to form on his face. "But what if Nilanjana wins this hypothetical battle to the death? She's quite fierce."

"No," Cecil immediately said, "Not possible."

Right. Carlos had almost died. He leaned against his boyfriend in apology, feeling relieved when he felt Cecil's shoulders relax. "Sorry, for joking about it."

Cecil gently squeezed their intertwined fingers with a smile that was absolutely smitten. "It's okay, my dear perfect Carlos."

After their successful date, Carlos called Nilanjana to report the process of adoption to her. She was silent as he talked about the steps in the ritual and the adjustments Cecil suggested for those with magical gifts, which is apparently what Harry's abilities are. Cecil's not sure how many there are of Harry's kind, he just knew that there have been times in the past where an Interloper arrived in town who can wield not-dark magic. Maybe there are other people like Harry outside town, maybe it's hereditary and his parents had the same abilities too.

Carlos was in the middle of theorizing that maybe Harry's relatives knew of magic and that's why they treated him...well, the way they treated him, and if so, then that would mean they themselves don't have magic, and if it's hereditary then what is the difference in Harry's genes that he had magic, when Nilanjana spoke up with a hint of fond exasperation in her voice, " _Boss_."

He coughed, sheepish. "Right, sorry. We can talk later. You wanna pick up the raw steaks or shall I?"

"I'll get it, I'm closer anyways."


	7. Interloper

_"They_ _swarm around you, inside you, pressing forcefully against the alveoli of your lungs and diffusing into your bloodstream to enter every single speck of your cells. They cradle you, gently, in their suffocating grasp. They cradle you and you are drowning. But you don't care._

_You have never felt freer._

_Target. Do you want to be the next?_

_This has been, a word from our sponsor._

_Listeners-"_ Harry blinked out of the slight trance he found himself in during the advertisement. He glanced around him to the scientists at work, before looking back at the radio _._

 _"-the child found in his lab, whose name is Harry Potter and who is not an undead messenger child from The City Council. Well, he's getting adopted!"_ Harry grinned happily at the reminder _. "And no, not by Carlos and me!"_ Cecil let out a nervous laugh, probably a little flustered. 

_"We're not that far into our relationship yet, come on. No, he's gonna get adopted by one of his scientists! Lucky kid. And he's staying with them at the lab, specifically at one of the spare rooms. Being surrounded by all those science all day must be really exciting!_

_Listeners, if you wish to give him the traditional friendly greeting of pointing and shouting 'INTERLOPER!' please do so gently. He's shy and easily startled._

_I'm getting reports that the crater between Summerset and Hellfire Road had disappeared and been replaced by a giant pit. Intern Ben, who happened to be in the area, say that Erika (who is definitely not an angel) was seen dancing to the sound of the wind near the edge of the pit."_

Later, when going out with Dave to buy a few sticks of uranium, a man wearing a straw hat called out to him, "Interloper," and waved a hand in a friendly greeting.

Harry smiled shyly, and waved back. The man tipped his hat and went on his way. Random people in the streets continued to do the same as they walked, some waving, some pointing, all calling out but not shouting menacingly, and Harry had a grin on his face once they arrived back at the lab.

Dave snorted at him and gently pushed him towards the stairs, saying that they're working with something dangerous than normal today so he can't stay at the lab for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to Elizabeth_Lux on wattpad for inspiration with the crater being replaced by a pit and for Erika dancing to the sound of the wind! The uranium too. It's from her story, Falling Through Portals, a Percy Jackson fic where Percy jumps through multiple worlds (AKA fandoms) and Night Vale was one of the places he ended up in. There were a lot of confused and screaming people in the comments lmao.


	8. Book of rules

There are rules to surviving Night Vale, ones that the scientists had to learn the hard way when they first arrived with no one to teach them (they had lost some of their colleagues those first few months, but Harry didn't press for more details after seeing the expressions on their faces). Harry was lucky in that he did have multiple people to teach him and explain things to him.

That first morning the day after the Adoption ritual, which was a surreal experience that Harry would be glad not to experience again, Nils dragged him around town for a proper Night Vale tour. The others were in the lab doing experiments or off doing science somewhere else in town, the latter ones being on the agenda in the "places I'll show you" list.

And for most of the morning, Harry kept trying to suppress a huge smile on his face. Even the huge glowing cloud that appeared out of nowhere, dropping dead animals and making people (himself included) chant praises at it, only removed his smile for a few minutes before Nils explained the Glow Cloud (all hail) to him once it had passed.

Late in the afternoon, once he and his now legal guardian arrived back in the lab, they sat down and wrote a list of things to remember.

2\. Listening to the radio is a must. Bring a portable radio (or other devices that can create sound) wherever you go.

3\. The Dog Park is forbidden. Do not mention it or act like it exists. Don't look at it.

4\. The Secret Police and government agents are always watching. Be careful of talking about things that are supposed to be forbidden.

5\. Writing utensils are illegal. Use one of the nonpens to write.

6\. Do NOT go into the Library.

7\. If lost, either ask for directions or go to the radio station by following the radio tower ("you know, that tower with the blinking light?" Harry nodded in answer.). Don't enter the radio station, wait for Cecil or ask an intern to get him.

And so on and so forth. The rules were a lot and very confusing, sometimes a little scary (always watching?), but a day out in town made them easier to believe. There was something else though, and Harry fidgeted in his seat.

Nils noticed after she closed the little notebook. "What is it?"

Harry hesitated, then shook his head.

"Why, are you afraid I'll get angry?" A pause, then a slow nod. "I doubt you've done something that would make me angry, Harry, we've been together all day!" Nils chuckled.

"No, it's just..." Adults typically don't like being corrected or talked back to... but...he remembered her hand ruffling his hair, a cone of sweet ice cream melting in his mouth, a hat that now sat on his head, the bags full of new clothes sitting at their feet. "Where's the number one? You...you started at number two."

Nils smiled at him, amused and warm. "Oh? Why don't you check?"

So Harry took the little notebook and opened it to the first page. Only then he realized that the place Nils had been writing on earlier was the second page, and on the first page...

On the first page, in big, bold letters,

1\. YOU ARE NOT A FREAK

Sure, they vehemently told him that after he told his story but-

The first in a list of important things to remember? A whole page dedicated to it?

His throat felt tight. He swallowed and blinked rapidly because his eyes are now also burning a little. It's getting a little hard to breath. 

"Can I hug you? I want to hug you," Nils informed him. "Okay, I'm hugging you."

Harry let out a wobbly laugh as she did just that.


	9. School papers

There's a bush in front of the lab. It's green and looked normal enough, but it was also growing on the stone floor.

"Good morning."

Harry yelped, jumping back. The bush rustled, somehow conveying apologetic sheepishness. "Oh, sorry about that. I just didn't want to remove my disguise so early in my shift. Can you get Carlos the Scientist?"

"U-uh, sure." And then Harry was running to get the man.

"Carlosthere'satalkingbushinthefrontdoor!" Harry was normally not like this, since any type of behavior that isn't considered "proper" and polite would earn him a smack, but a few days where that wasn't the case had him more at ease with the people that took him in. And the talking bush doesn't seem harmful at that, so he's really excited.

Carlos put down his mug of coffee as he stood up, that look of curiosity that Harry is now starting to become familiar with glinting in his dark eyes. "Oh? What did it say?"

Harry paused, nose crinkling slightly in thought. He was too afraid and/or excited to properly pay attention. Something about a disguise and a shift...? Harry told Carlos this, and the scientist smiled, amused.

"Oh, that's a Secret Police officer. I'll go meet them. Wanna come?" he asked, to which Harry eagerly nodded in reply.

Harry followed Carlos to the front door and curiously listened in on the conversation. He was glad he did, because it turned out that the officer was there in regards to Harry's schooling.

The thought of going to school filled Harry with mild trepidation. He was new here, was adopted just a three days ago even, and the thought of going to school full of strangers...

"Harry?" He looked up to see Carlos with a questioning look on his face. "What do you think, you ready for school?"

Harry froze, mouth opening slightly. "Uhm-I-uh..." he trailed off, torn. He didn't want to go yet, but what did Carlos expect of him? Nils? Do they want Harry to go to school? Maybe Harry's presence around the lab is distracting them?

Carlos turned back to the officer with a smile and said, "He'll go to school when he's ready. Needs some time to adjust to a new place, you know how it is."

"I don't, actually," the officer quipped, "but understandable. Here are the requirements and some papers to sign, make sure you send your response by messenger snake when he's ready." A hand clad in black emerged from the mass of leaves to hand Carlos some papers.

Harry deflated in relief, a little guilty. He wondered whether Carlos actually wanted him to go to school, but just said not yet because Harry's reaction made say it.

Carlos now looked utterly engrossed with the papers, staring at it with narrowed and intense eyes, but he reached out to ruffle Harry's hair when he passed by. Harry stared at his back, eyes a little wide.


	10. Indescribable

Cecil scared Harry a little when he first met the man.

Oh, he knew who Cecil was, that he's Carlos' boyfriend (another thing that would've disgusted the Dursleys), that the deep, calming voice on the radio belonged to him, but...

The man was not tall, or short. He was not fat, and he was not thin either. He...had hair, Harry was pretty sure, and a nose. Cecil was completely average. Just average.

So average that Harry struggled to name a specific noteworthy detail about the man, his brain unable to form words even when he's looking at him directly. Does Cecil have black hair? White? Blonde? Does he have pale skin or tan or brown? Harry can't even tell if he's wearing glasses or not. That's what had scared him, this lack of understanding that seemed to have been forced upon his mind.

"Carlos!" The disconcertingly indescribable man cheerfully bounded towards Carlos and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Both had blushing smiles on their faces, and Harry slowly relaxed to let curiosity replace his previous feelings. "It's slow news today, so I brought you coffee!"

"Oh, you shouldn't have," Carlos said, receiving his coffee with a touched smile.

"I wanted to." Cecil's voice seemed almost richer in real life, a bit higher and brighter than his radio voice. Or maybe it's because he was talking to Carlos.

"Well, thank you, Cecil." And they exchanged a few words, all the while leaning slightly towards each other as they took sips from their coffee, hands intertwined against the table beside them. Harry hadn't seen Aunt and Uncle act this way towards each other. Then Cecil said, "Now, where's this little fella that one of you legally adopted and all of you metaphorically adopted?" and Harry ducked his head, blushing slightly. Carlos saw him and waved him over from where he had been peeking through the doorway.

Cecil's first words to him was, "Oh, my. You have absolutely beautiful eyes! Almost as beautiful as Carlos' perfect hair." 

Harry, who had been listening to the radio and knew how much Cecil practically worshipped Carlos and his perfect hair, flushed. Carlos smacked Cecil's arm, but he was also a bit red in the face.

"Thank you," Harry replied quietly, before saying in a louder voice, "I like your voice."

"You listen to my show?!" Cecil exclaimed, looking absolutely delighted.

Cecil may have scared him (only a little!) at first, but Harry soon found it easy to feel at ease with the man. The odd thing with him being unable to be described took a bit more to get used to, but Harry eventually did.

Harry grinned up at the glow-in-the-dark stickers that Cecil had given him as a welcoming gift. Little stars of differing sizes splattered his walls and ceiling, with a single crescent moon stuck on the wall closest to the side of his bed. They shone with a faint silver glow instead of green, and Harry swore that they almost seemed to move as minutes passed, like the actual stars in the sky that give the illusion of movement due to the rotation of the earth (he may have been forbidden to get good grades by his relatives, by that doesn't mean he didn't pay attention in class).

Harry didn't know how long he sat curled up watching, but eventually he got tired enough to properly get under the covers and pass out, utterly content.


	11. Birthday

Harry's birthday came by like any other day. And in other ways, it came by unlike any other day.

It was like any other day when compared with the last few days he spent here. He woke up, had breakfast that he didn't cook, observed the scientists as they worked, and struggled to absorb as much as he can from their practically unintelligible jargon-filled babbling (though Nils can remember to explain in simple terms most of the time, and the others can sometimes start out the same, only to get too excited and forget who exactly their audience was. Carlos in particular had the tendency to run off in the middle of his rants, leaving Harry to blink after him in bewilderment that eventually became amused). He helped in little things as long as it was deemed safe enough, or Carlos and/or Nils tried to figure out his powers using various scans and tests.

Harry mostly spent his days inside the lab, but he didn't mind much as they always made sure there was at least one scientist working inside. As long as he gets to go outside every other day, he wasn't feeling really restless.

His birthday, when compared with the years he spent not in Night Vale, was utterly unlike those days. And he was fiercely glad for it. Anger and bitterness had replaced whatever resigned _"I'll just wait to be old enough to leave the house. Until then, I have to endure"_ thoughts he had Before. Harry was still wrestling with those anger and bitterness ( _and hurt_ ), trying to push them away in the hopes they'll settle into indifference.

It wasn't going so well. Especially on his birthday, where Harry can't help but look back to his previous birthdays with the Dursleys. The only reason he even knew the date was because they made a point of giving him... _gifts_ just so he can compare the one sock they gave him to the mountain of gifts Dudley received, and to remind him how generous they were for taking care of him this long.

He didn't tell his caretakers that it was his birthday. Not only did he not want them to feel obligated to throw a party and give gifts, but it was also too much like a beg for attention. It reminded him of Dudley whining for the attention of his parents, to go somewhere nice without Harry who will ruin his day, and give him gifts that are greater in number than the previous year.

What the scientists are giving him are enough. As far as Harry was concerned, a new home with a family that treated him like, well, family was the best (advanced) birthday gift he could ever ask for.

Last night, he had stayed up until midnight as is his self-made tradition to count down the years until he was 18. But this year, a smile touched his face after greeting himself a happy birthday. Because he knew, that this time, the rest of the day will truly _be_ a happy birthday. A birthday to beat all his previous birthdays.

The morning came, and his prediction came into fruition. He helped a little on experiments, listened to Mark rant about a puddle in the Sandwastes that contained something that looks and acts very much like orange juice but had the same molecular structure of the slime that oozed out of the taps last Wednesday, offered a plate of cookies to the Secret Police officer outside one of the windows and got a thumbs in return, hailed the Glow Cloud when it passed by, fed the dead animals in front of the lab to the carnivorous grass nearby, the usual. The cherry on top was when Cecil took him around town during the radio host's lunch break, and they bought some garishly decorated clothes that Harry enjoyed simply because it would've made Aunt faint in horror. Cecil also bought him a stuffed toy, a black "plastic bag" (it's actually a feral dog. Or just...dog).

When he got home wearing a bright yellow cardigan with red decorative stitches at the hems and glittery flowers around the bottom half, paired with green crocs that had tiny designs of cats on some of the holes, Nils choked, gaped, and then started laughing.

And when Harry hesitantly asked if this was okay, she ruffled his already messy hair affectionately and said, "Whatever you want. But don't wear glitter in the lab, it might get into something it's not supposed to get into."

Carlos had laughed like Nils, but the gaping of the others (with Stan dramatically moaning that he had been corrupted,) was hilarious.

So, yes, best birthday ever.


	12. Summer Reading Program

_"I beg your pardon, listeners, but I've just received alarming news. An alert citizen has called in to report inhuman shrieking, thick meaty sounds, and a coppery, rotten smell of gore and viscera coming from the now-sealed and impenetrable Night Vale Public Library – which are, of course, all fairly standard elements of the Summer Reading Program as described in the library director's original proposal._

_The citizen also reported a group of scientists are gathered almost dangerously close to the Library. They are pacing, running their hands through their hair, and waving mysterious equipment that blinked and beeped a lot. Carlos, dear Carlos, is staring at the looming walls of the dreaded Library. He had a worried yet beautiful frown, and I feel myself mirroring that expression, listeners. It turns out that being a previous outsider had not spared Harry from his fate.  
_

_Painful though it may be, it seems that all we can do now – as so often in our dull blinkered lives below a microcosm of horror and beauty – is wait. Wait, and hope, and know that our hopes are immaterial and powerless, and our wishes will go unheard by the indifferent multitude of stars, if indeed they (the stars) are even real."_

Books dug harshly against his back. The ground was cold underneath him. His lungs panted and his heart raced from the primal fear that had gripped his being only moments before. He gazed with wide eyes at where the-the _creature_ had retreated.

A girl that looked a few years older than him approached as many more children peeled themselves from the shadows created by the towering shelves (with one literally peeling themselves from the shadows with a wet sound). She had dark hair, and dark _dark_ eyes that stared at him with narrowed eyes as if measuring his worth.

"You're that Harry kid the scientists adopted, right?"

Harry stared at her mutely for a bit, before nodding. She tilted her head. "What, you never seen a librarian before?"

He choked and then finally managed, "That was a _librarian?!_ "

"What did you think it was?"

"A monster?"

"A librarian is a monster," she said patiently, and Harry stared at her some more before nodding again. This is Night Vale, Harry reminded himself. He pushed himself to stand with help of the bookshelf he was pressing against before, and the girl wandered off to speak with other kids in whispers. Based on the few words and phrases he can make out, they were planning strategies.

"Above!" A cry went out, and they all instinctively looked up (and raised their weapons and...books?)

Harry, already on edge from the previous attack only to see another one of those monsters directly above him, instinctively did something else entirely. The librarian screeched as an invisible force slammed against it, launching the mass of too many joints and too many sharp points straight into the air where it exploded into a shower of red petals.

Harry stared wide-eyed at the sight, dazedly following the petals' irregular journey down as a sudden silence descended on everyone. Though he didn't get to follow it all the way to the ground, once he realized that he had the eye of every kid and teenager in the vicinity. The girl was looking at him in consideration, head cocked to the side, before she grinned.

She pulled out a book from one of the shelves and threw it at his feet.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the cover proclaimed. Harry stared at it confused, before looking up at her.

"The name's Tamika Flynn, and I'm gonna teach you the basics in combat," Tamika said with a smirk. "Welcome aboard, new kid."


	13. Inside the library

Tamika quickly established herself as leader in a speed that left Harry in awe. She picked out books and handed it specifically to those who needed the knowledge (or weapon) inside most, was the most aggressive and successful in bringing damage in each librarian attack, is able to discuss strategies even with those years older than her, and can read books way above her reading level.

The youth of Night Vale, whose participation in The Summer Reading Program was forcefully decided against their wishes the moment they woke up inside the Library without warning, was quick to fall under her leadership with little to no complaints. Any dissents were ruthlessly crushed as Tamika crushed the skull of a librarian with the weight of a two-in-one book of Mario Puzo's The Last Don and The Godfather, launched at high speeds with her custom-made slingshot.

Needless to say, Harry had great respect for Tamika Flynn and looked up to her greatly. Not only because of her badassery, but also because she taught him how to...read books in Night Vale. She taught him to look underneath the first layer of meaning in the words, to look for information and codes hidden from first glance. After the first lesson where Harry truly learned Basic Combat from The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, he was shuffled through teachers older and younger than him until he was able to read books above his reading level without any help.

In between those lessons (and often in the middle of,) were librarians attacking their group and causing them to move to a new position. During these times, Harry was able to practice the things he learned. How to dodge, to fall without breaking anything, to identify weak spots and striking there, it was very much a trial by fire except there was less fire and more claws, fangs, and the occasional strangulation by tentacles. He had to survive long enough until his opponent retreats in disgruntled acceptance of his skill and verbal book report.

And if Harry hadn't gotten to finish the book? Well, one more addition on Harry's clothes doesn't make too much of a visual difference. Either way, a sticker still materializes so long as he actually finished the book.

They barely got any sleep, haunted both by monsters around and inside them. Those not in watching duty that were able to sleep, two hours would pass at most, before they were gasping awake with a panicked jerk. They wouldn't cry out. Not a single one of them would.

They all learned the consequences of making too much noise in the Library.

Harry would spend his time practicing his magic whenever he woke up too soon for his turn in watching duty. He comforted himself with his ability to make things just a bit easier for his comrades, managing to silence their surroundings for a few hours at a time before he needed to stop to conserve energy, pushing librarians away from them if needed (though it's rare for them to explode like the first one), and now he's working on creating a magical shield.

Harry is sitting cross legged on the floor, next to a sleeping Boy Scout named Eugene. Charles Dicken's Great Expectations is laid open on his lap, his eyes skimming through the passages that talked about magic use without traditional conduits like blood and/or bloodstones.

He wondered, briefly, how long they had been here, and how long they would still be here, before he shook his head and scrubbed his watery eyes. Now is not the time for such thoughts, he needed to focus on making sure they stayed alive for as long as they can.

But god, he was so hungry...

He sighed, before he looked at the air in front of him and focused. There was a flicker of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two-in-one book of Mario Puzo's The Last Don and The Godfather: I was preteen age (forgot exactly) and it was just left in our classroom, probably belonged to an older grade student. So I read it everyday in between classes. Needless to say, it was the first time I read a book with such...adult themes... I chose it cause I remember it being thick, likely thick enough to bash heads with lmao
> 
> Charles Dicken's Great Expectations: Barely understood it when it was given a few years ago (borrowed, technically, because I borrowed books from a cousin and this was included in the pile by my aunt even thought I wasn't really interested in it). Dug it up because I remember it being thick, read a few chapters, actually managed to understand this time.


	14. Decapitation

Harry didn't know how long they were in there. It could've been days. Weeks. There was no day and night cycle in the library, only the sense of growing tiredness creeping up to their bones that signaled it was time to rest.

He didn't know how long until Tamika was standing triumphant on top of one of the tables, holding up the decapitated head of the Head Librarian in one hand and in the other, the switch blade hidden in every hardback edition of Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter. The rest of the librarians howled and retreated as the children howled back, fiercely waving their assorted weapons, books, and sticker charts. Tamika pocketed her weapon before kneeling down to graciously accept her sticker chart from Jessica Littleton, Tamika's best friend and second-in-command.

A door reappeared on a wall, where there used to be a door before it disappeared when the Summer Reading Program started. Harry barely paid any attention to the rooms that led to the entrance, just distantly registering posters and computers in his exhaustion and relief. Once they broke out, a mass of staggering blood-stained emaciated children with feral eyes, some crawling on all fours and growling, Harry was accosted by a pack of lab coat wearing scientists.

His hand twitched in surprise, but he didn't do anything else. Just sort of stared at them dazedly, missing whatever it was that they were saying to him. _They were crying, or watery eyed_ , the thought floated through his mind as he blinked. Nils was hugging him, almost painfully tight. Carlos, not much for physical contact aside from the occasional hair ruffle, was wringing his hands anxiously. But then Harry was surprised when Carlos squeezed his shoulder and just– left his hand there, like a tiny version of Nils' hug. The others hovered and looked like they would've hugged him too if they were able to.

Nils pulled away, worriedly looking him over with her hands still on his shoulders. "You're so thin! Why are you so thin?"

Harry licked his dry lips, opened his mouth, but then she said, "Nevermind, we'll talk later. Are you hungry? You're probably hungry."

"He definitely looks hungry," Stan agreed. Lusia eyed the potato in her hand, as if contemplating whether raw potato would serve as an okay enough meal.

"Alright, food first," Carlos ordered before she can try to offer it, and herded them off towards a group of cars that likely belonged to some of them. The other scientists took this chance to welcome him back with full or side hugs and hair ruffles as they walked.

Harry glanced around to see his (former? New?) comrade-in-arms joining their respective families, who greeted them with open arms and relieved watery smiles. His lips twitched into a small smile of his own as he joined his.

Nils sat on the passenger seat of Carlos' car, and before Harry can do anything, she lifted him up to her lap. He shifted uncomfortably, worried about dirtying her clothes and the car seats, but she didn't say anything.

A few moments into the ride, the silence in the car was broken by quiet sniffles. She didn't say anything then either, just let him rest his head on her shoulder and ran a soothing hand through the greasy nest that is his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The children have been described as wild-eyed, feral, some staggering upright, and some running on all fours like animals, caked in effluvia and far more emaciated than the time of their absence would seem to account for..." - Episode 28, Summer Reading Program.
> 
> The episode happens in one day, but based on the emaciated part, it had been way longer than that for those inside the library.


	15. Support

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long! School started and things had been busy...and stressful. Updates will no longer be as fast as when I first started this story, unfortunately ;-;
> 
> Quick vent: *inhaaaale* AHHHHHHHH WHY DID AN INTROVERT LIKE ME CHOOSE TO BE A NURSE IM GONNA DIE AND INTERNET IS SH*T AND IM BEHIND IN LECTURES AND WE HAVE PRESENTATION EVERY WEEK AND SOMEDAY IT WONT BE ONLINE BUT IN FRONT OF ACTUAL CITIZENS-
> 
> alright, done. Thanks and sorry for that haha

**Regarding the state of Harry Potter after The Reading Program**

**8/3/13 –** **Baseline**  
I know we only used this program for our various researches before, but Harry is also very important too so we might as well make a space for him here. Makes it easier to catch up on information even when we're scattered around town.

I'll start with some observed data, and hopefully in time we'll see progress.

Malnourished, thin frame.  
Maladjusted sleep cycle; nightmares; maximum of 3 hours of sleep per attempt; maximum of 4 attempts of sleep per night.  
Flinches at loud sounds, but refused the offer of noise canceling/muffling devices (when asked, he answered that it will make it hard to hear danger)  
Started carrying a knife and a book around.  
Constantly follows one of us around; shows distress when he doesn't see us for too long. – C  
 **Comments:**  
Nils: Wait, how do you know that much about his sleeping habits? Did you set up cameras?  
C: I asked The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretely Lives in Our Home in exchange for my vote.  
Dave: Noooooo. We lost another one :(  
Mark: One of us. One of us.

_______________________________________

 **8/3/13** – **Measures taken and Suggestions**  
In the comments. – C  
 **Comments:**  
Nils: Bought lots of groceries, naturally. And yes, Luisa, I bought you extra potatoes.  
Luisa: Yay! Also, I've been keeping Harry distracted with my experiments. Managed to chop a potato in half by staring at it intensely.  
Mark: I asked if Harry wanted a night light, but he refused. His room is the only place where he doesn't mind being in the dark. Must be the stars.  
Stan: Suggestion: Cuddling at night. Might help with nightmares.  
C: We'll rotate between us?  
Chelle: Only if you feel up to it, Carlos. I'm sure Harry will understand.  
Dave: I vote for letting him keep the knife. Who knows when he'll need it. Maybe teach him some martial arts, too...  
Nils: I know Aikido, a bit of boxing  
Stan: badass.  
Chelle: Maybe contact the other kids, see how they're doing?  
C: Yeah, I'll work on that.  
___________________

 **8/5/13** – **Books and Weapons**  
Smuggled books from some kids at the back of the Ralphs. Along with a slingshot. The thought makes me wince, the poor books, but whatever works...

And speaking of weapons, suggestion: Take a leaf out of Harry's page and we all get some type of firearm or melee weapon. It will sure make the kid less worried about us whenever we're out of his sight.

I'd like an axe btw :) – Dave  
 **Comments:**  
Chelle: Wow.  
Chelle: I'd like a gun. But where can we get weapons?  
Nils: A gun won't be hard to get in this town. After all, "guns don't kill people"  
Stan: we're all invincible to bullets and it's a miracle. Sorry, couldn't help it.  
C: Alright, suggestion accepted.  
C: "btw" remember not to use this type of language in our other sections. It's not very scientific.  
Dave: Roger that, boss

_____________________

 **8/6/13 - Martial arts**  
I started training Harry and things are going well. Anyone interested in joining tomorrow evening is free to. - Nils  
Chelle: I'd love to!  
Stan: I would, but I uyinkm][;  
Nils: ....?  
Chelle: LMAO Stan isn't available rn. But hey, our first aid kit is fully stocked right?  
C: I'm unavailable tomorrow, sorry. But yes, I bought supplies yesterday after the acid-spitting Venus Mousetrap.  
Chelle: That was one nasty bugger  
C: Cecil loved it.  
Chelle: Of course he did  
  
________________________  
  
 **8/7/13 - Teddy bear**  
I found Harry this morning with a giant teddy bear taller than him. Did anyone get him that or did it materialize out of nowhere? Was it delivered and we have pay some sort of price? Please don't tell me we have to use the bloodstones again. - Mark  
 **Comments:**  
Stan: oh that was me, I bought it. I was kinda busy and forgot to report :P  
Nils: It was adorable. I may or may not have taken pictures  
Stan: kid also cried a bit, and boss are u sure we can't get the help of SSP to uh, disappear a certain family  
C: As much as I want to agree, I must also be a responsible scientist and say no  
Luisa: Pity. Nils can you share pics?  
Nils: I'll send it on group chat.  
  
_________________________

 **8/13/13 - General report**  
I'm happy to report that talking and playing with the other kids seems like it's putting him at ease. Not to mention, almost two weeks of effort had him less jumpy. It's minimal, but the kid didn't follow me when I left the room to get something, so that was a good sign. His weight showed improvement, too, and his skin looks healthier. The Faceless Old Woman said that he had been sleeping more hours before waking up from a nightmare. And most nights he can get back to sleep afterwards. She also mentioned a friend...? - Dave  
 **Comments:**  
Nils: He has a lot of friends now.  
Dave: But she specified _a_ friend among his other friends.  
Mark: Better to let him be. He'll let us know when he wants to  
C: Yeah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine there are other entries, often multiple times a day as they report to the others if Harry reacts negatively to something (makes sure it doesn't happen again), shows improvement, they got an idea they wanted to do for him, or they did something for him.
> 
> This chapter is inspired by "Fauna: Informal Studies and Field Notes," by TheYsabet. It's an amazing and fun read, go check it out!  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18773224
> 
> Also, *cough* I joined this rp discord group. And it’s literate, so it feels kinda like writing a story. With multiple writers. And you have little idea what they are planning to make happen. One time, Kevin threw a shoe at Lauren’s face (that scene ended with Cecil and Kevin talking, it was heartwarming). It’s fun, and everyone is so nice. Join us if you’re interested! You can still spectate and join in conversations with other people if you don’t want to rp.
> 
> https://discord.gg/Yfmer8b


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